Crossword Genius

But a cocktail is forbidden (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tabu

'is forbidden' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'but a cocktail' is the wordplay.
'cocktail' indicates anagramming the letters.
'but'+'a'='buta'
'buta' anagrammed gives 'TABU'.

(Other definitions for tabu that I've seen before include "Prohibited practice" , "beyond the pale" , "Socially prohibited" , "Forbidden (variant spelling)" , "Social prohibition" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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